Towards a better understanding of SEA effectiveness in Ireland

The first review of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) effectiveness in Ireland examined how a number of selected case studies performed procedurally. The findings pointed not only to deficiencies in the consideration of alternatives, monitoring and SEA Statements, but also in its capability to lead to more informed and sustainable decisions. Six years on from that review, this paper revisits some of the case studies and appraises non-procedural effectiveness via stakeholder interviews to obtain a more comprehensive account of SEA effectiveness across the life of the reviewed plans. The case studies illustrate a general openness to SEA. Overall, consulted experts agreed that SEA contributes significant knowledge to planning decisions. SEA iterations tend to be more efficient as a result of learning; in some cases, the process led to internal organisational restructuring, facilitating better environmental integration in subsequent plans. There is limited implementation of monitoring across the case studies, so while the review points to positive outcomes of SEA (e.g. new data and knowledge, mitigation by avoidance), it remains to be evidenced whether it ultimately prevents adverse environmental effects.